Jesus gave the Great Commission to the church: Making disciples … go (Matt. 28:19-20). Growth Groups at Oakland Hills Community Church are intended to be one means of being faithful to this charge. Growth Groups encourage people to grow as disciples by studying God’s Word together and to connect with other pilgrims on the journey.
Fall 2021 Growth Groups – Sign Up
- Chosen by God – R.C. Sproul @ 1pm on Monday afternoons – facilitated by Marilyn Snyder
- Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth – Thaddeus Williams @ 7pm Tuesday nights – facilitated by Doug & Jane Vos
- Holy Scripture – the Canon – R.C. Sproul @ 7pm Thursday nights – facilitated by Steve Walsh
- Gentle and Lowly – Dane Ortland @ 10am Fridays at OHCC building – facilitated by Cheryl Meharg
Chosen by God
Marilyn Snyder is leading a group for senior ladies that will meet every Monday afternoon in her home in South Lyon – starting at 1:00pm on September 13.
Chosen by God by Dr. R. C. Sproul is a contemporary classic on predestination, a doctrine that isn’t just for Calvinists. It is a doctrine for all biblical Christians. In this updated and expanded edition of Chosen by God, Sproul shows that the doctrine of predestination doesn’t create a whimsical or spiteful picture of God, but rather paints a portrait of a loving God who provides redemption for radically corrupt humans.
We choose God because he has opened our eyes to see his beauty; we love him because he first loved us. There is mystery in God’s ways, but not contradiction.
- Here’s a link to the Chosen by God video series
- Link to the book on Amazon
Marilyn says: “Hearing about Jesus and all He did for me while attending Bible school as a little girl in Detroit, I invited Him into my heart and asked Him to forgive my sins. I wanted Jesus Christ to be my Savior, I loved Him. As a young woman I realized I loved Jesus but had not trusted Him to take control of my life. I prayed and asked God to take my life and make me who He intended me to be. Bible Study became important to me. Eventually I got involved with BSF (Bible Study Fellowship). Being a discussion leader in BSF for quite a few years was a blessing and kept me in the Word. God led me to OHCC and I became a member in 2016. The teaching here is strong and clear and the people are warm and inviting. I am so thankful for the opportunity to facilitate the Senior Ladies Bible Study. It is a wonderful blessing. Some of us seniors have known the Lord for years and some are very new to learning what God’s Word teaches us. We encourage one another and pray for each other as we each grow in the knowledge of how great our God is.”
Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth
Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth is the title of a book and video series by Thaddeus Williams with 12 lessons answering 12 questions.
In today’s volatile social climate, people are seeking justice and some are becoming “social justice warriors” on social media. But for Christians, this must be a social justice that is truly biblical, fashioned according to God’s ways. With input from a diverse range of theologians, sociologists, and activists, Thaddeus Williams addresses topics of racism, sexuality, abortion, culture, tribalism, identity politics, and more in Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth.
Doug & Jane Vos will facilitate the Tuesday night growth group at their home in Dearborn. (Directions and more details will be provided for everyone that signs up.) The meetings will be from 7:00pm to 8:30 with an optional fellowship meal at 6:00pm for each session.
Doug & Jane are both graduates of Kuyper College (formerly Reformed Bible College) with BRE (religious education) degrees. They spent a semester in the Middle-East, studying and traveling extensively in Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and North Africa. Several years ago they also visited churches in Scotland. They have been married over 40 years, and have 5 children and 12 grandchildren. They have been members of OHCC for over 30 years, and Doug has been serving as a Deacon for over 25 years.
Gentle and Lowly
The Friday morning ladies group will be studying Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortland.
Because we know Jesus preeminently through the biblical text, Ortlund’s book is relentlessly Bible focused. We’re helped in our understanding of the Bible through the wisdom of those who’ve gone before us. The book frequently mines the 400-year-old wisdom of the Puritans; the Bible’s message about Jesus’ heart is truth to be savored, not just known. Because the Puritans were spiritual shepherds, not just intellectual titans, this book is more pastoral theology than textbook truth. It aims to comfort and console, to welcome its readers into an enlarged and enlivening experience of Christ.
This book review provides some tasty morsels (quotes) that will whet your appetite:
“What helium does to a balloon, Jesus’s yoke does to his followers. We are buoyed along in life by his endless gentleness and supremely accessible lowliness.” (p.23)
“His heart for his own is not like an arrow, shot quickly but soon falling to the ground; or a runner, quick out of the gate, soon slowing and faltering. His heart is an avalanche, gathering momentum with time; a wildfire, growing in intensity as it spreads.” (p. 203)
Here’s what some Christian leaders have said about this book:
- “A river of mercy flowing from the throne of God” ~ Bryan Chappelle
- “You will understand God’s grace in a whole new way.” ~ Rosaria Butterfield
Cheryl says: “I made my profession of faith October 17, 1983 while attending Stony Creek United Methodist Church in Ypsilanti, MI. Within a few years we moved and attended Ward Presbyterian for 25 years. During those years I attended weekly the Community Bible Study, led a small group of women with toddlers and subsequently joined a Women’s Circle (Bible study) and attended Wednesday night Christian Education classes. I have taken 2 BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) studies and 10+ yrs of Precept studies. I continue studying and learning here at Oakland Hills .”
Holy Scripture
Steve Walsh will facilitate a growth group meeting at the church building on Thursday nights at 7:00pm.
The Bible is God’s special revelation to us that tells us who He is, it tells us that we are sinners from conception, and that there is nothing we can do to save ourselves from His wrath. But the Bible also tells us of God’s plan of salvation.
But can we trust what the Bible says? The answer is a resounding, YES. We will be working through R.C. Sproul’s teaching series “Holy Scripture” to explore why the Bible is trustworthy and true from Genesis to Revelation and why we can place our confidence is all that it says. The goal is to increase our understanding and confidence in the veracity of God’s Holy Word.
Here’s a link to the video series by R. C. Sproul.
Steve Walsh and his wife Yvonne joined Oakland Hills nine years ago, and Steve has been serving as a Deacon for the past four years. He grew up in Chicago-land, and enjoys the blues, bands like ‘Chicago’, classic rock, progressive rock (e.g. ‘Yes’). He studied philosophy at Trinity College; and also took Bible classes at Moody back in the 70’s. He also studied systematic theology and church history at Wheaton graduate school. He has worked in the non-profit sector for many years and has a heart for serving others. His favorite Bible verse is Phillipians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”